Di Melo

Roberto de Melo Santos, known as Di Melo, is from Recife. He wrote his first song at 13 and, as a teenager, washed cars, carved wood, and sang in bars. In 1968, he showed his songs to Jorge Ben, who put him in touch with manager Roberto Colossi, and he returned to São Paulo. He lived in Tokyo between 1973 and 1974. His debut LP was released by Odeon in 1975, featuring Hermeto Pascoal and Heraldo do Monte, with arrangements by Geraldo Vesper. His career later lost momentum; a serious motorcycle accident gave rise to a rumor that he had died, and he took to calling himself imorrível (“undying”). In 1997, one track was included on the compilation Blue Brazil 2, and English DJs rediscovered the record.